AI-generated photo.
Polynesian · Iconic, Cook Islands · Fiji
Ika mata
Ika mata (ika mata), a Cook Islands plate from Fiji.
Pai editors’ mark 5 / 5
Plan, list, and collections
Ika mata is cooked in Cook Islands as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Sear the cod until it flakes, then dress it with coconut cream, lime, and mango. The celebrated bowl is often raw. This fish is cooked through. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Health
How this plate sits
Counted from the ingredient table. The score, richness, and badges describe one serving as written. The ring and the nutrient table follow the serving count above. This is general information, not medical advice.
67
Health score
Rich, enjoy occasionally
Indulgent
Richness
Balanced
Light to very rich, from fat, saturated fat, sugar, and the cream or butter in the plate.
- Protein 30%
- Carbs 37%
- Fat 34%
Watch · Diabetes-friendly
It misses a gentler mark: sugar, fiber, the starch mix, or the richness of the plate.
Watch · Heart-friendly
Saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, or fiber keeps this off the heart-friendly list.
Watch · Weight loss
Calories, protein, or richness make this a fuller plate than a light day wants.
Watch · High protein
Protein is about 18.6 g, under the 25 g mark.
Watch · Low sodium
About 632 mg of sodium, above the 450 mg mark.
Suits · Gluten-free
No wheat, barley, or rye in the required list. Still read labels on sauces and oats.
Suits · Dairy-free
No milk ingredients in the required list.
Watch · Vegetarian
Meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish is in the required list.
Suits · Pregnancy
No alcohol, liver, or caffeine in the required list. Cook meat, eggs, and seafood through.
Watch · Gentle when sick
Fat or sugar is high for a day when appetite is low.
Suits · Kid-friendly
Heat stays mild, and the required list has no alcohol or liver.
Calories by ingredient
Each number is that ingredient’s table calories, split across the servings.
- Coconut cream107 kcal
- Cod77 kcal
- Olive oil31 kcal
- Mango21 kcal
- Cucumber3 kcal
- Lime juice2 kcal
Glycemic load
Estimated glycemic load for this count: 10.7. The bands come from the ingredient table.
Portion
One serving is about 243 kcal. Two portions would be about 486 kcal if you want a fuller plate.
Allergens. Fish
Make it healthier
Use half the salt
Salt adds no calories in this table, so the calorie figure stays put while sodium falls.
About 243 kcal after the change.
Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.
The same plate with less sodium. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
Serve three-quarters of the plate.
The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion. This is the kitchen note. A new calorie figure is shown only when the grams can be replayed on the ingredient table.
Low confidence: no new calorie figure. The grams cannot be replayed on the table.
| Nutrient | Amount | % daily value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 243 kcal | 12% |
| Protein | 18.6 g | 37% |
| Carbohydrate | 23 g | 8% |
| Fiber | 0.7 g | 3% |
| Total sugars | 19.4 g | 39% |
| Fat | 9.4 g | 12% |
| Saturated fat | 5.1 g | 26% |
| Cholesterol | 52 mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 632 mg | 27% |
| Potassium | 413 mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 20 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 2% |
| Magnesium | 32 mg | 8% |
| Zinc | 0.6 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin A | 20 mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 55.6 mg | 62% |
| Vitamin D | 1 mcg | 5% |
| Vitamin E · estimate | 0.7 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin K · estimate | 17 mcg | 14% |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0 mg | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0 mg | 2% |
| Niacin (B3) · estimate | 5.6 mg | 35% |
| Vitamin B6 · estimate | 0.4 mg | 26% |
| Folate · estimate | 15 mcg | 4% |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.4 mcg | 57% |
Low-confidence marks sit on glycemic load or on vitamins the USDA row left blank. Those vitamins are filled from a food-group reference and labeled as estimates. Reported USDA values, including zeros, are kept. 50 g is the daily value for added sugar. This figure is total sugar, including fruit and milk.
- A serving stays under about 420 calories, so it can sit inside an ordinary day.
- Sugars are noticeable. A smaller portion changes the day.
- Fish here is a commonly eaten, lower-mercury choice when fully cooked. Follow your own pregnancy fish guidance.
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.
Equipment
- Wide skillet
- Scale
- Spatula
- Timer
Ingredients
Each line is stored in grams. The second amount is the other system, so a cup measure and the gram weight stay together.
Cod4 fillets440 g
Coconut cream0.5 cup120 g
Lime juice2 tbsp30 ml
Mango0.5 mango120 g
Cucumber0.5 cucumber80 g
Scallion2 stalks20 g
Thai chili1 chili4 g
Kosher salt0.5 tsp3 g
Olive oil1 tbsp15.38 ml
The first amount follows the unit toggle. The second is the other system. Both follow the serving count.
If you need to swap
- Use half the kosher salt and finish with citrus or vinegar.. The same plate with less sodium.
- Serve three-quarters of the plate.. The seasoning stays. The calories fall with the portion.
Method
AI-generated photo.
1Set out a scale and the equipment for Ika mata. Heat to medium-high heat, pan about 375°F / 190°C and give it 5 minutes so the surface is actually hot. Weigh cod, coconut cream, lime juice, mango, cucumber, scallion, thai chili, kosher salt, olive oil. Ika mata is cooked in Cook Islands as its own plate, not as a copy of a restaurant menu. Sear the cod until it flakes, then dress it with coconut cream, lime, and mango. The celebrated bowl is often raw. This fish is cooked through. Amounts are for 4 from foods this library can count.
Heat 5 min
AI-generated photo.
2Ika mata is cooked in fiji. Scrape the browned bits up with the liquid. That fond is the sauce.
AI-generated photo.
3Cook the aromatics first, then the main ingredient for Ika mata, until the edges take a little color. Sauté means movement. If the food sits still the whole time, it is steaming.
Build the base
AI-generated photo.
4Add the remaining weighed foods and cook Ika mata at medium-high heat, pan about 375°F / 190°C. Start checking at 11 minutes. Ika mata is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was medium-high heat, pan about 375°F / 190°C.
Sauté 11 min
- 🇫🇯 FijiOceaniaicon-fiji-ika-mata-step-4
Ika mata, step 5
Step 5 · Ika mata
5Check the center of Ika mata, not the edge. If the cue is not true yet, give it a few more minutes and look again. Opening a lid or an oven door early drops the heat.
- 🇫🇯 FijiOceaniaicon-fiji-ika-mata-step-5
Ika mata, step 6
Step 6 · Rest 5 min
6Rest Ika mata for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the salt. Serve it in the way it is eaten in fiji, with the sauce or garnish that belongs to it. Film Ika mata in this shot order and no other: wide on the cold pan before the heat; a knife sliding into the potato or vegetable; batter or dough smoothed to the corners; a spoon making a path through the sauce. Slate words for the editor: nacre, birch, marble, yarrow, kettle, yeast, opaque, crisp, patina, cedar.
Rest 5 min
How you know it is done
Ika mata is done when the outside is browned and the thickest center is cooked through for the protein on the plate. The heat was medium-high heat, pan about 375°F / 190°C.
If it goes wrong
- Ika mata looks done at the edge and is still raw in the center. Trust the cue, not the color. Check the thickest piece and give it a few more minutes.
- Ika mata turned out salty, dry, or watery. Weigh the salt and the liquid next time. Keep the heat at the temperature in the method, and stop when the doneness cue appears.
Storage
Cool Ika mata, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze portions for a month if the dish reheats in a pot or oven. Reheat leftovers until steaming.
How this dish helps your daily life
- Ika mata is one of the plates people ask for by name from Cook Islands.
- Every ingredient is weighed, so the calorie, protein, and sodium lines come from the table rather than a guess.
Notes
Pregnancy. Cook meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood through. Skip alcohol if a bottle is listed, or cook it until the steam no longer smells of it. There is no raw-fish step.
From the kitchen. Sear the cod until it flakes, then dress it with coconut cream, lime, and mango. The celebrated bowl is often raw. This fish is cooked through.
Allergens in the required list: Fish.
Your stars and note
Pai shares general nutrition information for everyday cooking. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Health labels are estimates from reference ingredient data and do not account for your lab results, medications, or how a food is absorbed. If you are pregnant, managing diabetes, cholesterol, an allergy, or any illness, use this as a menu of ideas and follow the clinician who knows you. In an emergency, call local emergency services.